From the Editors
Marshall Shelley
July 1, 1989
Most of us have a mental picture of apathy-soft, sluggish, undependable. But what does commitment look like? Especially commitment to Christ and to the church? Recently California pastor John MacArthur sparked heated debate with his book The Gospel According to Jesus, in which he insists that salvation does not occur apart from a living, visible commitment to Christ's lordship. His critics contend that lordship, or obedience, grows out of a relationship with Christ, but salvation does not depend upon a person's efforts to live up to biblical standards. I won't try to resolve the issue here, but as a Chicago baseball fan, I suspect the answer will be found in the Cubs' infield-somewhere between Law (the third baseman) and Grace (the first baseman). In church ministry, we often cover a lot of territory between the foul lines. We learn to live with the reality that people's intentions rarely are matched by their follow-through. My wife, Susan, has served as our church's director of children's ministries for almost five years. She's been heartened by many capable and committed teachers and club workers. But, like Christian education ministers everywhere, she's struggled to find enough of them. Why do some people do less than their best? Why do lethargy and unreliability infect church members? In some cases, it's a lack of will. But there may also be other factors. Not long ago, I was with a church leader who began listing some-as seen through the eyes of laity. Here are just a few: Confusion: "I'm new here, and sometimes I look blank because I honestly don't understand what the pastor's talking about. Some of this Bible stuff is pretty deep, and I have no idea what it means for me 'to minister.' " Different goals (unregenerate): "I'm ...
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